Run, Anna, Run!

Another 13.1 over and done with.

This is a Thankfulness post. Recently a missionary acquaintance wrote me a note after I had posted a picture to facebook. His note was a reminder to not get caught up in my accomplishments, but to remember to thank God for what He's done. And I know there are moments when I forget to be thankful, but there are so many more when I just stop and marvel at what He has done and allowed me to do over the last 2.5 years. One of those moments came this past Sat. I ran my first Half Marathon a month ago, finishing in 2:24. As soon as I finished I knew that I had paced myself too slow. But since it was my first and I'm not a fast runner, and I wasn't sure what to expect, I just said I was going to run somewhere around an eleven minute mile and that's what I did. That in itself, just a year after I started running, was an accomplishment. But this time around I had a better idea of what to do. This race was a 5k, 1/2 Marathon, and Full Marathon. The full marathon is a Boston Qualifier, so they have pace groups you can run with. I really, really wanted to run a consistent 10 minute mile and come in around 2:10, but had decided to put myself with the 2:15/4:30 group. When I got there, though, I found myself heading straight to the 2:10/4:20 group, because, hey, if you've got a goal, why not go for it, right??

Having never run with a pace group before, I had no idea what to expect, and I certainly didn't expect the group leaders to consistently run a 9:15 mile for the first 5 miles(which is a fast pace for me). I kept up, though, and when they started to pull ahead at mile 8(or I began to slow down, one), I let them go, but kept them in sight. They stopped at the water stations, I grabbed the water and ran, sloshing it all over my face, and managing to get some down my throat. It was a cold morning, about 26F when we started running, but a beautiful day. The route was rather hilly(normal for Charlotte), with some long, steady climbs, and as I began to head up the tenth mile and was beginning to slow down, I had this thought, "How amazing is this??!! How incredible is it that you're on your tenth mile, running your 2nd 1/2 Marathon, after completing two Triathlons this year? How amazing is it that you're keeping up with this pace group, feet pounding, legs strong, lungs breathing easily, feeling good, and loving it?? How amazing is it that after years of carrying lots of excess weight, you're doing great, and not even near the back of the pack? How amazing is this??" And so I pushed harder and ran my way to the end, crossing that finish line right at 2:10:07, having averaged an under 10 minute mile consistently for 13.2 miles, and hitting my exact goal. How amazing is that??!

And so, during this month of Thankfulness, I'm thankful for:

*the amazing, incredible body that God designed
*the body's ability to rejuvenate and heal
*a healthy, strong body
*a body that continues to grow stronger and continues to heal
*the physical changes that God has allowed me to make
*the time to make those changes
*a body that now runs, and swims, and cycles, and cross trains
*the difference that my physical health makes in
 regards to my viola playing(stronger arms, muscles, tendons)
*being able to challenge myself physically
*being able to enjoy the things God created me to do(run, jump, climb, hike, etc.)
*being able to enjoy more and more of God's amazing creation

An afternoon with Z

Zariah and I had a great day a few days ago, with beautiful weather, BBQ lunch, iced coffee, and pumpkin carving. My other mentee went out of town at the last minute with her family, so it was just the two of us. It's hard to believe that this is my third school year with her. She's a sweetheart with a hard life, but has a great attitude about it. When I first started with her, she was beginning to improve with her academics because of the help of FHL, her school, and her other mentor- but she really struggled with reading. Now, reading is one of her favorite things to do, and it's so much fun to see her and Brianna arguing over who gets to read next when we're all reading together. She's also doing really well academically and can't stand getting below a B, which is remarkable considering her living conditions and that she gets zero help with schoolwork at home. She's also really growing spiritually, which is exciting to see. As we were sitting on the porch carving pumpkins, out of nowhere she burst out with, "I can only imagine," and she knew most of it. It was a super sweet moment to just sit there and listen to this sweet girl singing about what it's going to be like to be with Jesus.

BBQ! She really likes this BBQ restaurant, so it's become our special place to go

Checking out our handiwork in the dark

PTM

Oct. 7th-11th was the Pastors to Missionaries' Conference sponsored by Barnabas International. This year there were seven of us there from IM, the largest number yet! As always, the conference was encouraging and a great place to learn, network, and be better equipped in the ministry of helping missionaries thrive.

The IM contingent

The theme of this year's conference was "Overflow," and as always, the main speaker and worship leader were challenging and a great encouragement to my heart and soul. There are great workshops to chose from and this year's choices were no exception:

*Caring for Business as Mission Workers – Their Needs and the Opportunities
*Parents of Missionaries: An Overlooked Part of the Team
*Because of God’s Love, Suffering Produces Endurance, Character and Hope
*Healthy Influence in the World of Member Care
*Mind the Gaps: Engaging the Church in Missionary Care
*Blind Spots and Worldview Assumptions in Cross-Cultural Member Care
*Mentoring a Millennial – Mentoring for Life
*Same Sex Attraction: What Missionary Caregivers Need to Know
*Changing Seasons: Providing Care over the Missionary Life Cycle
*Soul Care
*Debriefing through Collage, Parts 1 & 2: A Different Approach to Presenting One’s Story 
*Women in Missions    
*Coaching: Drawing Hope from Rivers of Living Water
*Bringing Hope to Ministry Marriages        
*Outsourcing your Services – Ways to Expand your Ministry and Increase your Income
  

Depending on which workshops you chose, you had time for 4-5. I went to 3, but one of them was in two longer parts over the course of two days. I attended "Women in Missions," "Blind Spots and Worldview Assumptions in Cross-Cultural Member Care," and "Debriefing through Collage, Parts 1 &2: A Different Approach to Presenting One's Story.

My favorite workshop was the one on Debriefing Through Collage. I've never been a big fan of Collage work, but I loved this workshop! I wish I could explain the whole process in writing, but I think it's probably something you just have to experience for yourself. I absolutely love having this new tool in my Member Care toolbox and will be excited when I get to use it. The above picture is my collage about my Grandmother, who passed away on Sept. 16th.

At one of the evening sessions with some of the other IM'ers

And a Fall photo from the last morning there(Black Mountain, NC)

13.1

Well, I did it. 13.1 miles. And I ran the entire way, and kept to my pace goal of an under 11 minute mile. I was calm mentally the whole time, and other than my joints feeling very achy the last 2-3 miles, I felt really good. Good enough, that I'm seriously considering doing another 1/2 Marathon Nov. 15th to see if I can easily pick up my pace by 30-45 seconds per mile. I know, I know- I'm a little touched in the head. :-D

Pre-race

I ran past my parents' house 2x- at miles 2 & 9

Mile 9- still feeling good

Finally!

It's over! I did it! 2 hrs., 24 min. & 10 seconds of constant running

My cheerleaders(otherwise known as parents)

Back in the Swing of Things

JV/Varsity Retreat. We had a large group this year at our retreat, but had a great time of fellowship, activities and learning more about our Relational God, and how we relate with others because He created us to be relational

I've got two girls at Faith, Hope, & Love that I mentor now. Brianna joined us last Spring, and since she's Zariah's best friend, I agreed to take her, as well. These two are so much fun and are constantly making me smile. :-)

Since I was gone much of the summer, and the NC Triathlon series finished in late Sept., I didn't feel like I'd have enough time to train for another one. But since I could run while overseas, I signed up for a 1/2 Marathon, which quite honestly, freaked me out. But I'm now less than 2 wks. away from the big day, and feeling great! I won't be the fastest, but unless something happens, I'll finish that course and enjoy doing it. :-)

Staff Visits

With Teniece in Odessa

As always, I so enjoyed my visits with IM staff both in Ukraine and Poland. Here are just a few of our staff I had the pleasure of spending time with and getting to hear how they've been doing over the past year:

Lesya & Caleb serve in Odessa and are getting married later in the year. It was lots of fun to hear about all the changes that are going on in their lives and ministries.

Kim and her husband serve in Odessa and are the leaders of the team I served with during my time there

Sergei and Yulya serve with my former team in Odessa. This was my first time getting to meet with them after their marriage last year. Sergei is the ultimate romantic and it was so fun to hear about their first year of marriage and how God brought them together.

Zhenya also serves with my former team. I met with him and his wife, Lidia, that morning, but we had gone running first and I didn't have a camera. I ran into him while meeting with Sergei and Yulya and we said we'd have to photoshop Lidia and little Matthew in. :-)

Jen(center) serves in Warsaw at an international church. The day I arrived was her birthday, so I got to celebrate along with some of the students she serves.

Saying Goodbye. :-(

Saying goodbye, when I only get to see them 1-2x a year is a tough thing to do. But God is gracious and merciful, and I left with a full heart and didn't cry on the bus like I've done in the past. :-)